Commission Seeks Support Of Stakeholders For Credible Service Delivery
By: Chinwe Onuigbo and Chukwuka Ugokwe, Awka
The Federal Commissioner of the National Population Commission (NPC) Anambra state, Mr. Chidi Ezeoke; has stated that the Commission needs the support of all stakeholders to deliver to the country, as well as provide reliable data it can use for sustainable development planning.
Ezeoke stated this at a 1- day capacity building workshop for journalists at the Industrial Training Fund (ITF), Awka, Anambra state.
Addressing journalists, the federal commissioner, said that preparation is in top gear for the successful implementation of the 2023 exercise at the federal level.
Ezeoke ,who is also the convener of the workshop, said ” the commission is on course in its mission of delivering an accurate census to Nigerians and a strategic partnership with the media will form the tripod upon which the census architecture will stand to reach out to the Nigerian people.”
“Therefore,the convening of this training workshop for journalists in Anambra state is one of such engagements and it underscores the determination and commitment of commission to conduct a successful population and housing census in 2023 by engaging the media to effectively mobilize the citizenry by getting the people involved”.
Sir Paul Nwosu, the state commissioner for information, urged journalists in the state to take the message of the importance of National Head Counts to the people ,especially those at grassroots.
He added that, ‘he that is counted will be he that will be provided for’.
“The government of Anambra state realizes that census/headcount is very important hence the support of the organization of a programme of this sort.
“Resources are very scarce and once the government at the center gets whatever number from the exercise then it plans with what was got.”
The Town Planner (TPL) State Director of NPC, Dr. J O.J Ulasi emphasized that the training exercise is the core of the census that will happen from March 29 to April 2,2023.
Ulasi who spoke on Enumeration Area Demarcation for the 2023 Population and Housing Census said, Enumeration Area Demarcation (EAD), also known as census mapping, is the delineation of the whole country into compact and identifiable areas.He stated that the first EAD mapping in Nigeria was done in 1973.He emphasized that this year’s census will be more productive than 2006 census,as it will be effectively, digitalized.He encouraged journalists to assist the Commission with credible reportage.
Population history
The history of population census in Nigeria and structure and mandate of the National Population Commission, Mrs Nma Rose Nweke,the NPC public affairs officer, stated that the commission needed the media to ensure broad – based national cooperation for the implementation of its activities, especially the 2023 Population and Housing Census.
The Anambra state Commissioner for Culture, Entertainment and Tourism, Comrade Don Onyenji, encouraged journalists to perform better than was done in 2006 national census.
Olusola Akintonde
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